Serious Entertaining: Christmas Dinner to Feed a Crowd

Tempted though I may be to dictate your holiday spread, I'm given to understand that each family has its steadfast Christmas traditions. And hey, I'm working on my generosity of spirit*. So, rather than give you a whittled-down selection à la Serious Entertainings of time past, we're instead going to embark on a little choose-your-own-adventure...adventure.

*It also must be said that here at Serious Eats, we've been testing holiday recipes since early October, meaning that: a. we get to have a Christmas-quality feast on a weekly basis and, b. this menu could potentially go on for days. (Also, c. I am getting fat and it's great.)

So, without further ado, join me on a tour of our holiday recipe highlights!

Hors d'Oeuvres

[Photograph: Joshua Bousel]

When I have a multi-course dinner to prepare, the prospect of tackling labor-intensive appetizers can get daunting fast. My solution is to take the make-ahead route—I whip up a few dips and spreads, stick them in the fridge, and then take care of any final steps before company arrives. My personal favorites? A briny black olive tapenade or this bubbling hot bowl of creamy three-cheese artichoke dip. And, of course, no holiday meal in my household is complete without a rich and creamy mousse, whether you're a chicken or duck liver fanatic like I am, or prefer this meatless (but no less delicious) mushroom pâté, instead.

Potatoes

[Photograph: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt]

I'm going to go out on limb here and say that potatoes are a must-have at your Christmas table. If you have time and a little patience, go for this crisp-topped cheesy Hasselback potato gratin. Looks pretty awesome, right? Just wait till you taste it.

Main Course

[Photograph: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt]

Might I suggest the king of holiday roasts, a.k.a. the all-belly porchetta? Rolled and slow-roasted, with a crisp, crackly skin and tender, melt-in-your-mouth interior, it's about as decadent a holiday roast as you can get. That is, unless you also cook it sous-vide and deep fry it.

Drinks

[Photograph: Jessica Leibowitz]

What's a holiday dinner without at least one inappropriately drunk relative? And there's no better way to get them there than ensuring you've got a well-stocked bar and some large-batch seasonal cocktails that go down nice and easy? But wait, there's more!

About the author:Niki Achitoff-Gray is the associate editor of Serious Eats and a recent graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education. She's pretty big into oysters, offal, and most edible things. You can follow her on Twitter at @eatandcry.

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